READ: LCD Screen Burn - A Warning

[TechZ]

Excerpt:
Ever hear of screen burn on a LCD monitor? Chances are that you haven't. Most people believe that LCD screens can't get screen burn. Do a search of the Internet and you'll see hundreds of articles comparing LCD to CRT (cathode ray tubes) monitors and you'll find that one of the advantages of LCD monitors is that they don't suffer from screen burn like CRT monitors do. Well, I also believed that LCD's couldn't get screen burn until about 2 months ago when I made a horrifying finding. There was a afterimage on my Dell 2001FP LCD monitor in the exact shape of my Windows wallpaper. Did my LCD just get screen burned? Noooo!!!!! It can't be!!!!

[Spaceman Spiff]

Gee, I've had my Dell 2000FP for a year and a half without any apparent screen burn...

[TechZ]

my Viewsonic too is without a hitch.

[Platypus]

The suggestion seems to be that an afterimage on an LCD is not a "burn" but a "set" to the pixel characteristics, and is reversible. But the "unsetting" process takes at least as long as it took to create the afterimage, maybe up to twice as long!

http://www.viewsonic.com/support/qa....cd&question=09
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=10639
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=88343


Afterimage on a Dell laptop LCD:




From this discussion:

http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportf...cending&page=1

[JFH]

Interesting how some people must reply that they have not had the problem, but have not given specifics to their use for their LCD monitors. I GUARANTEE, if you use your monitor for "still" video (windows applications), such as myself, YOU WILL GET SCREEN BURN!!! I open a Studio Recording application, called Cubase, and have to leave the same application window open for hours at a time, day after day, 4 to 5 days a week -much the same for half the MAC/PC user market. It only took a few months before the burns became severe, let alone noticeable after only 2 months. What is interesting is that the burns will not be as noticable in some colors, and with the brightness adjusted higher. HOWEVER, adjust your screen to a pale blue, pale gray, or any pastel/pasty solid background and it will display every detail of the windows. I can see my control functions of my applications on my screen after the application is closed.

There is a gentleman who posted a thread (I believe the opening was on this website with a link that takes you to another website) that explained it took him quite some time to run screen savers to clean up his screen. I have been running a "3D Pipes motion screen saver" for 24 hours today and on other days with no luck. What did help was leaving my monitor off altogether when I traveled the country for 4 months -BUT GEE, THAT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A MONITOR if I have to leave it off to keep it from getting screen burned!

I guess the bottom line is, if you want to use LCD, buy 2 monitors and alternate using them every other day. Keep in mind, I am not some gaming junky that uses constant changing video so much, burns cannot occur. Nor am I a "grandma" that uses it so little, it doesn't matter. Alternatively, if you are an intensive professional or hobbiest who is using one program for hours at a time, BOTTOM LINE IS THE LCD IS NOT FOR YOU! I am going back to the CRT (which I have left on for days at a time and have not gotten one single tiny "etch" of a ghost - and it is a sorry-a_ _ Compaq).

I can promise you this, The LCD (if things don't change) will go out phase so fast you will start to recall and laugh about what happened with BETA VCR machines just prior to the time VHS soon came out. Remember; Beta screwed up - came up with a good invention, but poor quality (and compatibility issues), and VHS took over the Beta market. Much the same, I see Plasma getting perfected and the LCD will be out - or users, such as myself, will continue with CRT's - AT THIS POINT, there is no way around Ghosting and Screen Burns. In fact, I recently visited a sizable video editing outfit, and I was informed quite clearly that in the professional ranks of video animating, video editing, or any video arts level, 80 to 90% of this professional market still uses CRT, and most will not go near LCD. This outfit had 20 CRT's and NOT one LCD! - there is no comparison in quality. I only went to LCD for I needed to have my Visual monitor between two Professional Audio Reference Speakers and the magnets can harm CRT. This calls for constant "deguising" (demagnetizing and releasing free electrons gathering in the tube so magnetic fields and free electrons don't hurt or reduce the life of the CRT) (which the CRT would still last years longer than my LCD at the rate the LCD is burning out!)

LCD is not worth it! Anyone who is even slighlty a professional or hobbiest with the slightest bit of "perfectionism" in their blood will quickly become annoyed, if not outraged, with the Screen Burning that is driving so many LCD users nuts. Ghosting and Burns have got to get fixed, or LCD's are going to have a short life!!! Mine is 13 months old, paid $500 bucks for it and it is headed to the dumpster!!!!! Welcome back home, CRT!!!!!!!

[TechZ]

I use static images on one LCD (2 years now), mostly forums and browsing the whole day long, it never goes off, and one LCD (3 years now) for gaming, and a mix of other things, no screen burn for me.

[leezer3]

Never seen anything like it :P
However, what I do have is a permanant mark on my screen (Toshiba Tecra S1, if anyones interested), where my trackpoint mouse rests - Not amused.
However, LCD screens will never go out for lappy users- Anyone for carrying round a CRT?!)

-Leezer-

[confus-ed]

Interesting how some people must reply that they have not had the problem, but have not given specifics to their use for their LCD monitors. I GUARANTEE, if you use your monitor for "still" video (windows applications), such as myself, YOU WILL GET SCREEN BURN!!! ..

Well I do, & haven't .. but I have seen LCD's display this issue , however there's three basic types of LCD & I wonder which one you've got ? & I wonder what types I've seen this issue on ? - as I bet there's a connection !

Anyways here's some info about the 3 types of LCD

..Passive Matrix (twisted-nematic) LCD's

PM LCD's come in several types including; supertwisted nematic, double supertwisted nematic and triple supertwisted nematic. The original PM LCD's had a very limited viewing angle and poor contrast. Super and double supertwisted nematic designs provide an increased viewing angle and better contrast. The triple supertwisted design implements the subtractive CYM colour model mentioned above. PM designs are addressed in matrix fashion, so a VGA PM display would require 640 transistors horizontally and 480 vertically. Rows of pixels are activated sequentially by activating the row transistors while the appropriate column transistors are activated. This means that a given row is activated for only a short time during a screen refresh, resulting in poor contrast. Some implementations of PM technology break the screen into two parts, top and bottom, and refresh them independently, resulting in better contrast. These are called Dual Scan PM LCD's. In addition, PM displays suffer from very slow response times (40-200 ms) which is inadequate for many applications. Aside from their performance shortcomings, PM displays are inexpensive - their relatively low number of discrete components reduces manufacturing complexity and increases yields. Note that while dual scan displays are better than the original PM LCD's, they still don't have the high refresh rates and brightness of active matrix LCD's.

Active Matrix LCD's

Instead of using one switch (transistor) for each row and column, AM LCD's dedicate one switch for each pixel. This results in a more complex display which requires a larger number of discrete components, and therefore costs more to manufacture. An AM display is basically a large integrated circuit (IC). The benefits are significant over the PM design. Pixels can be activated more frequently, giving better contrast and control over modulation. AM technology can produce higher resolution displays that can generate more, and brighter colours. The main types of AM LCD's are; TFT (Thin-Film Transistors), MIM (Metal- Insulator-Metal) and PALC (Plasma Addressed Liquid Crystal).

Ferroelectric LCD's

FE LCD's use a special type of LC which holds its polarization after being charged. This reduces the required refresh rate and flicker. Also, FE LCD's have a fast response time of 100ns. Although they are very difficult to manufacture, and therefore expensive, FE LCD's may provide AM quality at PM prices in future...

from here.

I think (but that's not always too reliable ! ) that the times I've seen this issue, its been on Ferroelectric LCD's ..

[confus-ed]

Oh btw didn't this want to be in tech to tech ?

I appreciate we have 'nowhere' for 'tech waffle' subjects, but I think it'll get more views & replies in there

[ßracius]

yes it is possible that have teh LC's remain in a polerized position if it is to become it's natural state, i.e. you can't seem to use a screen saver or have your LCd turn off after 10 minutes of non-use.

Same happens with batteries if you neglect to let them discharge every so often